May 2009

* Struggling to compete for business in a shrinking market, law firms are hiring image and marketing consultants to improve their chances–one Philadelphia-based image consultant even tells them how to dress for the courtroom. Lay-off problem solved–apparently all you need is a makeover. [The Wall Street Journal] * Not only that, but in an effort […]

* Donald Trump argues that calling him anything less than a God is defamatory. Okay, that’s not true. But make sure you call him a billionaire. Or you’re fired. [Popsquire] * The market will provide … incentives for Somali pirates to keep you alive. [The Volokh Conspiracy] * Crispin is selling its intern on Ebay. […]

Kinney is currently running an exclusive search for an Asia GC role at a well known tech start-up company, based in Shenzhen. This company has received significant recent praise for their new smart phone device in leading medial outlets, such as the New York Times, TIME, Mashable, Wired, Yahoo, and Forbes, among others.

Lawyers tend to do well on reality TV shows. Siblings Victor and Tammy Jih, both California lawyers, just won a million dollars on The Amazing Race. Back in 2006, another Asian attorney, Yul Kwon, snagged a seven-figure prize on Survivor: Cook Islands. (By the way, May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. Yay Asians! Two of […]

Have you ever been passed over for a promotion and decided: “screw you guys, I’m going home.” That may be what is happening at Mayer Brown. The National Law Journal reports: Mayer Brown Vice Chairman Paul Maher, who had been on sabbatical at the law firm as of last month when he was passed over […]

Is it possible to be on the short list to fill Justice Souter’s place on the Supreme Court and not even know it? Newsday reports: Much to her surprise, the dean of Hofstra University Law School woke Sunday morning to find she had just been thrust into the national political conversation as a possible contender […]

Here’s a post devoted to the perils of “Reply All” and idealism among first-year associates. Brought to you by the attorneys of Quinn Emanuel. The firm just celebrated a victory in its Washington Redskins case, reports the Washington Post: A federal appeals court yesterday handed the Washington Redskins another victory in their long-running legal dispute […]

The ABA Journal addressed a question that is near and dear to the hearts of many associates: How do you deal with a partner that is a big, bad meanie? The story comes from a weekend Wall Street Journal article on handling interoffice bullies. Apparently, a Jones Day associate had the perfect tonic for her […]

Everyone’s a-twitter about Jeffrey Toobin’s profile of Chief Justice John Roberts in this week’s New Yorker. And with good reason. We’re not sure whether the title of the profile, “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” is meant to describe Roberts or Toobin. We’re sure you’re familiar with Toobin, the ubiquitous legal analyst whose resume includes gigs […]

When was the last time you took a second look at your student loans? If you’re like most borrowers, you probably try hard not to think about them. After all, dwelling on your debt isn’t going to make it go away any faster. Or is it?

* A word of advice to the new summer associates: Paralegals can’t be trusted. [Legal Intelligencer] * SCOTUS dismissed the lawsuit that sought to punish top Bush officials, including former Attorney General John Ashcroft, for detaining Muslims that were not involved in 9-11. [Christian Science Monitor] * Military commission trials for Guantanamo detainees present many […]

Earlier today, we welcomed summer associates to Above the Law. It looks like Linklaters had the same idea. Here is today’s welcome memo from the firm. We offer some more “frequently asked questions” after the jump.

* Yeah, if I saw a bottle of vodka on the shelf, and it had a Russian looking name on it, I’d assume that I was purchasing Russian vodka. Or at least Soviet vodka. [What About Clients?] * Are we really going to start suing strip joints for age discrimination? I mean really? [The Legal […]

Just at the moment, a NASCAR driver that has lost control of his car and is 0.3 seconds from colliding with the wall is in a slightly safer position than a third year law student. The latest terrible news (subscription) comes from the Massachusetts Superior Court: With this year’s budget cutbacks at the Trial Court, […]

These days, it seems like the Blackberry stranglehold on Biglaw is loosening. Purely anecdotally, we’ve been seeing many office-pale fingers making use of iPhone touch screens to check for partner e-mails over the weekends. Let’s move beyond the anecdotal though. Which do you prefer as your Biglaw ball and chain? Online Surveys & Market Research If you […]

On Friday, we reported that DLA Piper cut associate salaries by ten percent across the board. But we now know that ten percent was just the starting line for associate salary cuts. Friday, the firm memo included this language: Adjustments to all associate salaries at other class levels will be determined and communicated on a […]

Back in February — after the Acela fiasco, before the layoffs — Pillsbury offered a voluntary departure program to its associates. The program didn’t really work, and the firm ended up laying off 55 associates (155 employees in all), in March. Undaunted, Pillsbury is offering another “voluntary” program, this time directed at its incoming first […]

We’ve all heard how dysfunctional entry-level legal recruiting is: Inordinate expense, decisions made on the briefest of subjective impressions with opacity all around, and what do firms reap for all their efforts? Shocking attrition rates among junior associates. It’s time for a conference on what could work better, and this is it.

Are you a junior to mid-level corporate/finance associate who has been contemplating a move to (or within) Washington, DC? In response to increased deal activity requiring “NY (or like-kind) trained” corporate associates, the Washington, DC corporate/finance market is experiencing an unusually high demand for your skills. Read more, and check out www.g-s.com.